Ancient Caves

Ancient Caves is playing at the Arizona Science Center on Thursday, Oct 15, in the Irene P. Flinn Giant Screen Theater on Level 1. It's a 3D IMAX film that follows paleoclimatologist Dr. Gina Moseley on a mission to unlock the secrets of Earth's past climate.

For a long time, scientists didn't have a reliable way to study the climate of the distant past. Moseley and her team of cave explorers travel the world to find a solution: stalagmite samples. They head into remote caves in France, Iceland, the Bahamas, the U.S., and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, searching for these geologic fingerprints that hold clues about the planet's climate history. Together, they show how rapidly Earth's climate can change and how that has shaped human civilization.

Because it's in the giant-screen 3D IMAX theater, you get to see those remote caves in a way that feels a bit closer than a standard screen. The theater is part of the larger Science Center, which houses more than 300 hands-on exhibits, the Dorrance Planetarium, and the Forces of Nature walk-through, so you can make a whole afternoon of it if you're in the mood. The film runs daily at 12:15 PM and 2:15 PM, and it costs $8 with general admission. The theater is at 600 E Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85004.